The results are in from Knight’s recent equine nutritionist consultation. Sadly, my sweet Thoroughbred gelding has been on the horsey version of the Atkins Diet for the last two years thanks to my own ignorance. No wonder why he was looking a little too angular! His meal plan was all wrong, but now I have a path to move forward to get Knight the nutrients he needs as well as climb out of my quicksand of guilt. Here’s the story.
One shot required for the equine nutritionist consultation. Hubby’s cute shadow.
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Longtime readers of Saddle Seeks Horse might remember a couple of years ago when Knight was hospitalized for ten days due to colic and severe ulcers. You can read about that experience when you click here.
Long story short, the discharge instructions from the veterinary hospital clearly stated that he should only have alfalfa, no beet pulp, no rice bran, straight up a lot of hay (30 pounds). No grain. No timothy or orchard. Just alfalfa.
Because I am a rule follower (“The official paper from the equine hospital says alfalfa only–it’s alfalfa only.”), respect the expertise of the vet who was overseeing his care, and have only owned three previous horses–all fairly easy keepers, I didn’t really question his diet. Except I did give him a tiny portion of Purina WellSolve so he had the joy of receiving a bucket and it was topped with Purina Outlast for the gastric support factor.
Such a great ride. Thank you Lady Photographic for the beautiful picture!
The weird thing is, since our evacuation, thanks to Canyon Fire 2, I’ve had some of the best, most consistent and relaxed rides on Knight in our three years together. I thought he was happy. But he did look a little ribby and he lost his topline muscling. I blamed ulcers and the stress of the evacuation. We treated him with Ulcergard and I finally broke down and bought a Miracle Collar crib strap. His cribbing had become incessant since the fire.
(We’re still at the evacuation barn by the way.)
Go for the Gold
My vet recommended Summit Equine Nutrition in Northern California and after perusing the website, I decided to do the full Gold Package which entitled me not only to the initial 30 minute intake phone consultation, in-depth analysis of his current diet and customized feeding plan, but also three follow-up phone consultations at 60, 90 and 120 day increments with a plan revision, if needed.
Another one of the required angle shots for the equine nutritionist consultation.
I will admit the price of the consultation seemed expensive at $350, but then I realized I would totally pay more than that for a weekend horse show, or to buy myself new riding clothes and not blink. So my horse totally deserved this service for his health! And having a better diet in place for Knight and paying that amount is definitely cheaper than a 10-day hospital stay, or any number of day hospital stay which I hope to never repeat.
After the first phone call, the nutritionist emailed me several worksheets to fill out about Knight. I had to take pictures of him from various angles, list exactly what he was eating, describe in-depth his weekly exercise routine. I had to measure his body at various places and give a weight estimate. And obviously list his age, breed, health history, etc.
It took me a few weeks to pull all the data together with it being winter and bad lighting for pictures and coordinating an extra set of hands to help with all the measuring, etc.
Feed This, Not That
Once I got the information to the nutritionist she evaluated it and concluded that Knight’s diet was deficient in copper, zinc, manganese, iodine and vitamin E. And that because of the straight up alfalfa only diet, his protein and calcium was excessive. She’s described Knight’s diet as reminiscent of the Atkins Diet! This horrified me. Her recommendation for his new feeding program is as follows:
- 10 lbs Alfalfa
- 20 lbs Orchard Hay
- 1.5 lbs Triple Crown Ration Balancer
- 2 lbs Triple Crown Senior
- 2 tbsp iodized table salt
- 2oz of WildGold oil
- 1 serving Gutwerks (probiotic)
We had a discussion about possibly using the iFeed to automatically distribute small amounts of alfalfa pellets throughout the day, as she has seen excellent results with ulcery or colic prone horses when using the iFeed. However, the time is just not right. Definitely check out this video, though because it’s very cool. It’s on my wish list for sure.
Once we are back to our home equestrian center and we know what the set up will be with the new pipe corrals, this might be an option. The iFeed runs on electricity or a car battery which I would need to recharge monthly. It’s not out of the question that I could use this, but it’s going to take some research and time.
Fun Fact: The feeder can be programmed to give small portions up to 48 times per day!
How to Makeover Your Horse’s Diet
One of the best parts about the equine nutritionist consultation is that she gave explicit details for HOW to transition Knight to this dramatically different diet. We all know that you never change a horse’s diet overnight, but she spelled out which new things should be started first and gave specific amounts phasing in the new ingredients. I felt relief having an exact guide, so I didn’t have to figure out all the variables myself.
As of this writing, we’ve only just begun the transition process. I will definitely write another post down the road to let you all know how he is doing.
Thanks for reading!
Leave a Comment: How do you determine what your horse should be eating and when to change up his or her diet such as adding in certain supplements? Have you ever worked with an equine nutritionist before?
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I'm Susan and this is my horse Knight. We have been a blogging team since 2015 and we're glad you're here. Tally ho!
Glad you contacted the nutritionist! That sounds like a much more balanced plan than what the vet initially told you. I had a nutritionist come to evaluate my horses’ diets many years ago and he helped me a lot — first, by allowing me to eliminate some of the supplements I was feeding and then by steering me toward a better nutritional profile. My Trakehner was an easy keeper but lacked endurance. I started feeding him a ration balancer and it made a big difference. The mare I had at the time was a hard keeper. He recommended a more calorie dense feed that was higher in fat and also explained I was feeding her too little because I was feeding by volume rather than weight. However, for people who may not be able to spend the $$ on a nutritionist, there are a couple of alternatives that are free or close to it. All of the feed companies have nutritionists who will come to your barn for free. Yes, they are biased toward their own feed, but they are helpful nonetheless. http://www.feedxl.com is a very interesting program that allows you to review the nutritional profile of your horse’s diet and see where there may be gaps. You can join for just a month and it’s something like $15.
Oohhh. . . good tip about the feedxl! I have never heard of that. Thank you for mentioning it. I guess I have learned that it’s always good to question AND don’t be afraid of being quick to get a second opinion.
I’ve struggled to keep weight on my thoroughbred because alfalfa makes him too hot to ride. When I had to get his weight up a few years ago, I found an IKEA bag and a cheap hanging scale from Amazon were invaluable.
I remember you telling me that. It’s really ingenious. The barn we’re at now actually has a small scale that they use when feeding. I wish more places would do that because not all flakes are created equal. I forgot to mention in the blog post that I had to measure by weight everything I was giving Knight. She didn’t want “One small scoop.”
That iFeed is pretty interesting
It really is. There’s a place I think near Ramona that just installed them. I need to do a field trip to check them out.
Sounds like a great diet!
My horse is a hard keeper and VERY hot, but thankfully he does well on alfalfa. He gets “one flake” 3x/day (I’ve weighed it at anywhere from a scant 4 lbs. – eek – to a hefty 8 lbs!). At Serrano he got 25 lbs/day.
I generally despise supplements, and never fed them when pasture boarding (sigh), but now that I am in a stall, I give vitamin/mineral/amino acid & high-omega-3 fat on a half-scoop of senior feed w/ no molasses. And a salt block. I also keep a bale of orchard or timothy in my locker and put a flake in small-hole net for nighttime nibbling if his dinner is not filling it out.
You know, I wonder about supplements. I think people are supplement happy. I wonder if any horse magazines have ever delved into that subject before. You are a good horse mom, Holly!
Whenever we do a supplement article, we really can’t say “none of these have been studied for efficacy.” After all, their ads pay our bills. Not to say they don’t/can’t work, but most don’t go through rigorous scientific testing due to cost and horse owner willingness to buy on testimonials alone. Check out David Ramey DVM’s blog if you haven’t…
Cool! I have looked into those feeders before for my old horse. They are great because they are specifically made for horses. The thing I did not like about them was that they are not really made to be outside and are not varmint proof. Just something to think about!
Good to know. I never thought about the rodent factor. My pipe corral will be covered, so I think it would work. If I’m allowed to use it.
So interesting to hear that! My mare is actually allergic to most grasses, so alfalfa is the ONLY hay she can eat. It only took us years to figure this out… luckily she’s never been a hot horse, so we didn’t have issues with it. I feel pretty lucky to be good friends with the Platinum Performance people through our company so they’ve given a lot of invaluable advice over the years.
And yes! to scales and weighing!
I have heard really positive things about Platinum Performance. I wonder what can be done to get more barns to embrace the importance of scales and weighing. Thanks for reading and leaving your comment, Holly.
I wish we had a similar service like this in Norway! I tend to try new things from now and then, according to how the horse is looking at the moment. As for now, I have started giving him another complimentary feed, and it’s actually sulfur to keep his immune system working! Excited to see what wonders it will do for his summer eczema.
My gelding is a very hard keeper, thank you for sharing these tips! I think that they will surely help him gain weight. Thanks again!
I hope you have success beefing up your boy. 🙂 Thanks for reading and stopping by.
I am very interested in scheduling with Dr. Claire Dr Thunes because of your post : ) Would you mind sharing how it went for you? I am a first time horse owner and naively bought a horse with a TON of health issues (no vet check) and don’t really know where to turn. This could be a start. Please let me know 🙂
Thank you!